Out of 6.2 billion people in the world today, 1.2 billion live on less than $1 per day. 70% of these people are women and girls. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspOne half of the world population lives on less than $2 per day. 160 million live on less than 50 cents. At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe World Health Organization estimates that 1/3 of the world population is well-fed, 1/3 is under-fed, and 1/3 is starving. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspNearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read or write. A quarter of the world's population lives without electricity. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspApproximately half the world's population lives in cities and towns. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspBy 2005, one out of three of urban dwellers was living in slum conditions, approximately 1 billion or 1/6 of the world's population. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThere are about 14 million refugees (estimates range from 11 to 17 million) and 26 million internally displaced people (2007) in more than 50 countries. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe UN Development program estimates that only $13 billion is what is needed to provide for the health and nutritional needs of the world's poorest people. There are now over 1000 billionaires in the world. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe net worth of the richest thousand or so is about twice that of the poorest 2.5 billion people on the earth. The poorest 10% accounted for .5% and the wealthiest 10% for 59% of all consumption. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp12 million people die each year from the lack of water, including 3 million children from water-born disease. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp1.1 billion lack access to clean water; 2.6 billion live without decent sanitation; 4 billion without waste water disposal-that's approximately 1/6, 1/3 and 2/3 of the world's population respectively. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe poorest 10% accounted for .5% and the wealthiest 10% for 59% of all consumption. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspIn 2007 global GDP was $47 trillion. The top 250 companies in the world had combined sales of $14.87 trillion, that\'s 1/3 of global GDP and exceeds the GDP of the USA and EU. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe combined sales of the top 5 companies of $1.5 trillion is larger than the GDP of all but 7 countries. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspOne Measure of the Bubble: The gross amount of financial transactions amounts to two thousand trillion dollars, while the world GDP is only 44 thousand trillion. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp70% of these people are women and girls. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspOut of 6.2 billion people in the world today, 1.2 billion live on less that $1 per day. Read more&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp

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Puerto Rico: Debt Crisis with Caribbean Taste

When we mention the debt crisis the first images that come to mind are the marches and protests in the streets of Madrid or Athens. But the negative impact of the debt system on the lives of the people is felt all over the world. Not even the sunny and placid lands of the Caribbean are immune to the destabilizing power of that system. In this case the victim is the island of Puerto Rico, where the uncontrolled increase of the debt has placed it on the edge of bankruptcy.

Who owns the US federal debt?

During the current financial crisis, government debt levels across the advanced capitalist world have soared. In the United States, the portion of the federal debt ‘held by the public’ has more than doubled from 36 per cent of GDP in 2007 to 73 per cent in 2012. This explosive increase in the federal debt raises an important question that strikes at the heart of the future of the US political economy: who is buying this huge and growing mountain of US Treasury securities?

from Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute, University of Sheffield, 1/23/14

U.S. still > China

BY all accounts the geography of global manufacturing has changed, with China in particular and developing countries in general accounting for a high share of global manufacturing production and exports.

How to fight global capital

An interview with João Pedro Stédile, Founding Member and Member of the National Board of Directors of the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) [1], conducted by Raffaele Marchetti specially for wpfdc.org

Raffaele Marchetti: What are the most difficult challenges ahead MST today?

Neoliberalism and Iran

With the announcement that Iran’s nuclear deal with the world powers will take effect Jan. 20, and reports that on Feb. 1 Iran will receive the first $550 million installment in previously blocked overseas funds totaling $4.2 billion, there appears to be optimism that Tehran is taking the slow and necessary steps to address many of the issues its economy is facing.

A war-based economy

In January 1961, US President Dwight D Eisenhower used his farewell address to warn the nation of what he viewed as one of its greatest threats: the military-industrial complex composed of military contractors and lobbyists perpetuating war.

A Gathering Storm: Eurozone in 2014

Is Europe’s single currency bloc stabilising? Behind the current picture of calm storm clouds are gathering, says French economist Jacques Sapir, in this recent interview with Greek newspaper Kefalaio (Capital)

Kefalaio: What is your reaction to the image of stability in the Eurozone promoted by European leaders? What are the possible ruptures (eg in the case of a US “tapering”, that is easing off of its injections of free money into the financial markets?)

The 13 Most Important Charts of 2013

As we say goodbye to 2013, the economy is still failing ordinary workers.

What is being done to make it better? Not enough.

Public spending and public investment are too low, wages for increasingly productive workers are flat or falling, and the minimum wage is inadequate.

However, there is hope for 2014.

The policies that created these trends can be reversed. There is a renewed push to raise the federal minimum wage, states are raising their own minimum wages, and more policymakers are coming to terms with the downside of economic inequality.

Kafala, or How the Wage-earners Become the Slaves of Their Company

After visiting a camp for workers, Pierre Barbancey was arrested by the Doha police for "illegal practice of journalism", before being released. In this major report, he recounts how a million foreign wage-earners, modern day slaves, are exploited in the construction of the infrastructures for the 2022 World Cup of soccer. Hundreds have already died in the process. [1]